The brick seamoth, Pegasus laternarius,Encyclopedia of Life Eol.org Accessed February 28, 2014. also known as the long-tailed dragonfish, long-tailed seamoth, pelagic dragon-fish, or the winged dragonfish, is a species of ray-finned fish in the Pegasidae, or seamoth, family."Catalogue of Life: 26th February 2014."Catalogue of Life. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Feb. 2014. This species is used extensively in the Guangdong and Guangxi province of China to treat scrofula, cough, and diarrhea.Li, Mengtao, Minhui Chen, Hai Huang, Wucheng Tao, Jihong Cui, and Hui Xiang. "Neuroprotective Effects of Active Ingredients Isolated from Pegasus laternarius on Cultured Cerebral Neurons." Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology 31.1 (2011): 73-82. Print.
Etymology Their genus name, Pegasus is taken from the Greek mythological creature the Pegasus, or a winged horse of Perseus. Their species name, laternarius is derived from the Latin word later, meaning "made of bricks".Romero, P., 2002. An etymological dictionary of taxonomy. Madrid, unpublished.
Description Pegasus laternarius grows up to . They have a variety of colors but are mainly yellow to blue with a dark brown underside. Juveniles and females have a shorter rostrum than adult males.Palsson, W.A. and T.W. Pietsch, 1989. Revision of the Acanthopterygian fish Family Pegasidae (Order Gasterosteiformes). Indo-Pac. Fish. (18):38 p.
Diet and behavior This species of seamoth is generally found in muddy bottoms around , while the larvae is planktonic. They rarely live other than several places in Japan where they are found in sheltered muddy areas.
Distribution It is found in China, Japan, Taiwan, and Thailand in the Indo-West Pacific ocean. The brick seamoth is found in depths from to .
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